In the news

The FDA announced it had suspended the food facility registration of Topway Enterprises Inc., also doing business as Kazy’s Gourmet, of Houston, Texas. As a result, Topway now cannot sell or distribute any food into commerce. The suspension is due to serious sanitation issues were observed, including several samples confirming the presence of Listeria and pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes. The company did not implement adequate corrective actions. This is the sixth time the FDA has suspended a facility’s registration since receiving the authority under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Topway ships RTE fresh seafood products to restaurants and retail food outlets. The FDA is not aware of any confirmed illnesses related to these seafood products.  @ https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-suspends-facility-registration-texas-based-seafood-producer-after-significant-repeated-food?utm_campaign=072219_pr_FDA%20suspends%20facility%20registration%20of%20Texas-based%20seafood%20producer&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

The FDA posted on its site that Elevation Foods is recalling containers of Archer Farms-brand egg salad; Freskëtbrand egg salad, tuna salad, and Thai lobster salad; and Archer Farms-brand deviled egg sandwiches produced on June 18, 2019, due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. The company believes that fewer than 1,087 cases of the product have been directly shipped to retailer warehouses throughout the United States. No illnesses have been reported to date. The recalled products were manufactured at Elevation Foods’ Knoxville, Tennessee facility. Elevation Foods identified the problem with the products after receiving positive test results for three containers of affected egg salad which were sampled and tested by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. @ https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/elevation-foods-recalls-packaged-egg-salad-tuna-salad-thai-lobster-salad-and-archer-farms-deviled

Since the last update on July 3, 2019, a total of 93 people infected with the outbreak strains of Salmonella have been reported from 27 states. Three additional Salmonella serotypes have been added include Infantis, London, and Newport. Twenty ill people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. On July 3, 2019, Pet Supplies Plus recalled bulk pig ear product supplied to all locations by several different vendors, stocked in open bins. A common supplier of pig ear treats in this outbreak has not been identified. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of Salmonella isolates from 33 ill people predicted antibiotic resistance or decreased susceptibility to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole, and tetracycline. @ https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/pet-treats-07-19/index.html

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced a recall of certain Pacific oysters due to a marine biotoxin which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. The oysters were processed by B.C.-based Union Bay Seafood Ltd. and Intercity Packers Ltd. with a harvest date of July 14, 2019. They were sold in five dozen packages in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. No reports of illness have been linked to the product, however, in severe situations, paralytic shellfish poisoning can cause difficulty walking, muscle paralysis, respiratory paralysis, and even death. @ https://www.vicnews.com/news/recall-certain-pacific-oysters-may-pose-threat-of-paralytic-shellfish-poisoning/